Flexible pipe-coupling



(No odel') /A v .l Y She-ts-Shee-t 2..-I

J. H'. Gouw Y f FLEXIBLE P13911 GoUPLI1\ wf.`

. NGQBBLOO. BatentedAPLO,.1888;

l i UNITHDQSTATS JOHN H. comin, on PHILADELPHIA, rnNnsvnvnnrA.'Y

PATENT 1 OFFICE 1 I FLEXIBLE P|PE- couP L|NG. t y 1 I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. sanooalaaea Aprn 1o, i888. f l l Application filed January T, 188B.v Serial'No. 236,027. .(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.' f

Be it known that I, JOHN H. GoULD, a'citizen 'of the United States, residing at Philadelpliia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented 5 certain Improvements in Flexible Pipe-Couplings, set forth in the following specitication.

' In making pipe-connections between two objects not in a fixedv position relative to each other,.or when the two pipes toobejoin'ed are x0 not permanently in line, it lbecomes necessary to insert a flexible connectingcoupling soar-y ranged as to adaptv itself to the varying conditions imposed lupon it. This is exemplified in the various air-brake and steam-heating 15 Systems appliedto railway-trains, in which the common practice is to terminate each end l of the various sections'of pipe with a; short piece of rubber hose provided with suitable metallic couplings.' These pieces of exible 20 pipe between each car take up all oscillations and movement without destroying the continuity of the pipe. tureof rubber usually employed for the pur'- pose, its liability to injury, and its'unsatisfacf 25 tory behavior when subjected to extreme lchanges of temperature, and its unsuitability for placeswhere impure water is used in water-heating systems, yinduced me to devise .a flexible couplingv entirely of metal to be ca- 3o 'pable of expanding, contracting, oscillating, or twisting in any required direction without destroying the continuity ofthe pipe. I attain my object inthe manner illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, and asset forth 35..,in this specification. /f'

Figure l is a -longitudinal section through the couplingwith its various members con tracted to their least length. Fig. 2 is a lonf gitudinal section through one of .its members extended to its greatest length. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a Vportion ofthe coupling. Figs. et and 5 are views ofthe coupling, intended to illustrate how the various movements are obtained; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through a modified form of the coupling.

Similar reference-signs are used throughout lthe severaLviews.

Various modifications of my invention can' be devised without -changing my conception, which is to combinelfthe various parts 'toi The unreliable nagether, so that` by a. rockingiorV oscillating movement, or by a sliding movement,`or by a combinationIof both 'movementsVall ref quirements of a perfectly flexible coupling 55,v

are attained. y y p rThe arrangement of theparts preferredland desig'ned by me more particularly for use in a. system of heating cars with'hot Water. (but adapted equally Well for other. purposes) is 6o. that shown in Figs. lto 5 of the 'accompanyi" ing drawings. The coupling is in thiscase composed of three (members, .A, TB, and '0.' Each of thesey members, being formed of tele- .scoping tubes, is capable of expanding orh5 contracting separately or simultaneously. TheA f members A and C lie-in parallel but differ f' ent planes, While the member'B'liesinaplane p vertical to the two other-members. By this means-I; get three axes of rotation at right 7o angles to each other.` The tubes ybeing free to rotate upon each other, it will be easily un A vderstood Vby reference to Fig. 4 thatpshould the directionfof thefmembersA and() change laterally the couplingtw'ists upon axes bfb, 75

. Fig. 'shows, first, how vthe vertical dis!" tance between ct and c may lengthenffby the member B expanding, as in Fig.l 2',"so thatsgf` the center c may be lat c,- secondly, lhow'the 1 coupling may twist'upon th'eaxis a to accom'- vmodate a new lateral positionof C, B swinging lthrough a greater or less angle to bv or'lj thirdly,-how the ycoupling vmaytwistupon 9o axis c to accommodate a new lateralposition of A ,B swinging through a greater jorLle'ss angle` to yb3 or b,- fourthlyfhow the member =B may'expand to accommodate a' new verticaly position of C at the Sametime Ythat it occu. 95- pies a newlateral position by extending to c4.

"he movement-'s illustrated in Figgft may.

of course be madesi'multaneouswith' thoser t j in Fig. 5, anditpis believed that` thcse changes' l are sufficient toimeet all requirements ofpracf `roo j tice. e The member Aconsists of a union-piece, 1,1 Y'.

threaded for the .purpose of connection, and provided with lugs 2, to engage with a suitable wrench. Into this piece 1 is screwed or secured a tube, 3, of the same internal diameter as the pipes' connected. Over this tube slides or telescopes the tube 4, which has one end screwed or secured to the elbow-piece 5, while the ot-her end is enlarged or thickened to form a shoulder, 6. Secured to 1 is an outer covering-tube, 7, of such an internal diameter as to slide upon the enlarged portion of the tube 4, and is provided at its end with an internal shoulder, 8, to engage withv the shoulder 6 and prevent the tubes being drawn apart. Member B is made in a similar Way, having the inner tube, 3, and outer tube, 7, secured to elbow 5, while the tube 4 is secured to 9, which is an exact counterpart of 5, and the shoulders upon the tubes 4 and 7 serving the same purpose as they do in member A. Member C is similar to A, with the inner and outer tubes secured to 9, while the middle tube is secured to the connectingnut 10, this nut having an internal thread, and being in fact the other part of the union of which 1 is a part and to which the leading pipes are attached.

Under ordinary circumstances no packing is required to keep the joint tight between the telescoping tubes. In cases where lowpressure steam is used a Water-packing may be formed by turning grooves in the tubes, as shown in Fig. 3 at ll. Stuffing-boxes may be employed when necessary, but are not shown, as they do not form' a part of my invention. v

The modified form ofcoupling shown in Fig. 6 has a ball-and-socket joint at each end, formed of the threaded castings 12, having nuts 13, and the ball-castings 14. To one of these castings are secured the tubes 3 and 7, while to the other one is secured the tube 4, being the same arrangement of telescoping tubes to form an expansion member, as in the preceding case. Leakage through the balland-socket joint may be prevented by inserting packing at l5. This arrangement of the coupling allows an oscillation in everydirection through a limited angle and an expansion or contraction in length, While the arrangement tirst described allows movement through a greater angle, and it is believed has suiicient freedom of movement to meet all requirements, the expanding feature being the same in both cases.

The advantage of the arrangement of tubes in my device -is that it gives very large sliding surfaces to wear, has longjoints to prevent `be summarized as follows: The union-'pieces 1 and 10, being secured to the connection, may oscillate, advance, or recede in the manner before described, the members of the coupling twisting upon or sliding in the direction of the axes of each member to accommodate each change in position ofthe connections, the telescoping tubes forming a sealed conduit of varying lengths. The arrangement shown in Fig. 6 accomplishes the same results by oscillating in the ball-and-socket joints and the sliding ofthe telescoping tubes.

Having described the advantages, construction, and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a flexible pipe-coupling, thecombination of a member provided with a union-piece, 1, having screwed or secured to it a tube, 3, and covering-tube 7, provided with a shoulder at 8, with a tube, 4, having shoulder 6, said tube being secured to an elbow-piece connecting another member placed at right angles tov the first, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In' a flexible pipe-coupling having a member composed of a union-nut with tubes 3 and 7v secured thereto, said tube 7 having an inward-projecting shoulder', 8, and adapted to slide or telescope upon the shouldered tube 4, secured to an elbow connecting it with another member of the coupling, the combination of said member with a similar member placed with intersecting axes and so arrangedas to be free to rotate and Vexpand simultaneously,

substantially as described, and for the purpose as set forth.

JOHN H. GOULD. [1.. s] Vitnesses:

JAMEs J. DOUGHERTY, ARTHUR L. STEVENS.

IIO 

